Fire Track: The Decemberists – “Burial Ground”

The Decemberists have returned with the new single “Burial Ground,” marking their first new music in 6 years. With jangly guitars and swelling horns, the track is an instant singalong classic. It’s pop simplicity at its best, with lead-singer Colin Meloy’s reliably clever lyrics propelling it forward and featuring The Shins’ James Mercer on backing vocals. “‘Burial Ground’ is in that time-honored pop song tradition, a paean to hanging out in graveyards,” says Meloy. “The melody hook came to me in a dream and I hummed it into my phone on waking. Most dream-songs are bad; this was the exception.”

The Decemberists will head out on an expansive North American tour with both spring and summer legs. The tour kicks off on April 30th in Kingston, NY at the Ulster Performing Arts Center and wraps up in August on the West Coast. Highlights include the Brooklyn Paramount Theater on May 3rd, the Salt Shed in Chicago on May 21st and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 24th. The band will return to their home turf, wrapping the tour in Troutdale, OR on August 3rd at McMenamins Edgefield. Full tour dates listed below.

Tour Dates:
– co-bill w/ The Head And The Heart^
-w/ Special Guest Ratboys unless noted with a “*”

April 30: Kingston, NY- Ulster Performing Arts Center
May 2: Boston, MA – Roadrunner
May 3: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount Theatre
May 6: Toronto, ON – Exhibition Place – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
May 7: Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
May 8: Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
May 10: Washington DC – The Anthem
May 11: Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center
May 12: Atlanta, GA – The Eastern
May 14: Dallas, TX – Majestic Theater
May 15: Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
May 17: St Louis, MO – The Pageant
May 18: Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
May 19: St Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
May 21: Chicago, IL – Salt Shed
May 22: Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theater
May 24: Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
July 12: Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater^
July 13: Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
July 15: Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether
July 18: San Diego, CA – Humphreys
July 19: Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theater
July 20: Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
July 22: Santa Fe, NM – The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing
July 23: Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom
July 24: Sandy, UT – Sandy Amphitheater
July 26: Missoula, MT – Kettlehouse Amphitheater
July 27: Spokane, WA – Spokane Pavilion
July 29: Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
August 3: Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield*